YSU and its police negotiate contract

YOUNGSTOWN -- Youngstown State University began contract negotiations with its police Thursday, but the talks aren't expected to be as protracted as last summer's negotiations with the faculty and classified employee unions.
In fact, if the chief negotiator for the university wasn't going on vacation, a new agreement likely would be wrapped up next week, said Sgt. John R. Spencer, Fraternal Order of Police representative for the 21-member department.
The FOP always has had a good relationship with the university, and there are no major outstanding contract issues, he said.
The two sides met Thursday morning and exchanged proposals but won't meet again until April 5 when the university's chief negotiator returns, Spencer said. He didn't disclose what the police are seeking.
The FOP's current three-year contract expires March 31 but the force will continue working under terms of that agreement until a new pact is in place, he said, noting the police have a no-strike clause in their contract.
The university experienced a major labor-management upheaval in negotiating new three-year agreements with faculty and classified staff last summer.
Both unions went on strike before their contracts were settled just before the start of fall classes, and recriminations growing out of those disputes are still being debated on campus.